--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't say that you should extract this…" description: "\"I can't say that you should extract this or that value from my books explicitly. They are up for interpretation. In terms of the obligation, I think we..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/colson-whitehead-1042_atrocities_i-can-t-say-that-you-should-extract-this_2051786.jpg" --- # I can't say that you should extract this or that value… ![“I can't say that you should extract this or that value from my books explicitly. They are up for interpretation. In terms of the obligation, I think we're all individuals on this planet, trying to scratch our way through the day, and if you're writing a book exposing atrocities in Rwanda or…” quote by Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/colson-whitehead-1042_atrocities_i-can-t-say-that-you-should-extract-this_2051786.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/colson-whitehead-1042_atrocities_i-can-t-say-that-you-should-extract-this_2051786.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4dd/colson-whitehead-1042_atrocities_i-can-t-say-that-you-should-extract-this_2051786.jpg) > “I can't say that you should extract this or that value from my books explicitly. They are up for interpretation. In terms of the obligation, I think we're all individuals on this planet, trying to scratch our way through the day, and if you're writing a book exposing atrocities in Rwanda or writing a murder mystery set in a mountain village, I think both ways of spending you time are valid and both books are probably fine to read.” [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author emphasizes that books serve varied purposes and that interpreting them is subjective; both serious and entertaining works hold value. **In simple terms:** Books can be serious or entertaining; both are worthwhile. Key Takeaway Read what resonates, respecting diverse purposes. Themes literature interpretation subjectivity diversity validity Mood thoughtful inquisitive open-minded Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - personal enjoyment - social awareness - cultural critique - creative writing Key Concepts subjectivity purpose of art reading motivations Questions to Reflect On - What determines a book’s worth for you? - How do you balance learning and entertainment in reading? A Different Perspective Not all readers agree on what constitutes “valid” literature; personal bias influences interpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atrocities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atrocities/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Interpretation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interpretation/) [Murder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder/) [Murder mysteries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder-mysteries/) [Murder Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/murder-mystery-2/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Village](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/village/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing a book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-a-book/) ## Related quotes > [Blackness, any sort of difference, is not a burden. Relegating blackness or other sorts of difference to serious books that explicitly engage with issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumaan-alam/blackness-any-sort-of-difference-is-not-a-burden-relegating-blackness/) [Rumaan Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumaan-alam/) > [There is a moral obligation, I think, not to ally oneself with power against the powerless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/there-is-a-moral-obligation-i-think-not-to-ally-oneself-with-power/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [“...Let me say that I do think decency and civilization would insist that the writer take sides with the powerless. Clearly, there's no moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/let-me-say-that-i-do-think-decency-and-civilization-would-insist-that/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [Forgiveness is the act of freeing yourself from an obligation to think negative thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgiveness-is-the-act-of-freeing-yourself-from-an-obligation-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The law is a powerful thing but the law doesn't always change what's in people's hearts. And so all of us have an obligation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-law-is-a-powerful-thing-but-the-law-doesn-t-always-change-what-s/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“It’s kind of sad how much value I was placing in the heaps of books I owned. Obviously it was more than their real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-fields-millburn/it-s-kind-of-sad-how-much-value-i-was-placing-in-the-heaps-of-books-i/) [Joshua Fields Millburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-fields-millburn/) > [But everything of value about me is in my books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-s-naipaul/but-everything-of-value-about-me-is-in-my-books/) [V. S. Naipaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-s-naipaul/) > [Value all books in proportion as they are agreeable to Scripture. Those that are nearest to it are the best, and those that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/value-all-books-in-proportion-as-they-are-agreeable-to-scripture/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [As useful as websites and journals are, there's real value in books, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamais-cascio/as-useful-as-websites-and-journals-are-there-s-real-value-in-books-too/) [Jamais Cascio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamais-cascio/) > [“Our relation to books is a shadowy space haunted by the ghosts of memory, and the real value of books lies in their ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-bayard/our-relation-to-books-is-a-shadowy-space-haunted-by-the-ghosts-of/) [Pierre Bayard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-bayard/) > [Writing in India will not dramatically change till we learn to value books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-subramanian/writing-in-india-will-not-dramatically-change-till-we-learn-to-value/) [Ravi Subramanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-subramanian/) > [I am stretching out this volume, since those German dogs estimate the value of books by their cubic contents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marx/i-am-stretching-out-this-volume-since-those-german-dogs-estimate-the/) [Karl Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marx/) > [Hence, instead of Man Thinking, we have the bookworm. Hence, the book-learned class, who value books, as such; not as related to nature and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/hence-instead-of-man-thinking-we-have-the-bookworm-hence-the-book/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [There is this value in books, that they enable us to converse with the dead. There is something in this beyond the mere intrinsic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/egerton-brydges/there-is-this-value-in-books-that-they-enable-us-to-converse-with-the/) [Egerton Brydges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/egerton-brydges/) > [“Try to avoid your house catching fire, as this does no good at all. And while your house is still intact, it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-connolly/try-to-avoid-your-house-catching-fire-as-this-does-no-good-at-all-and/) Joseph Connolly ## More by Colson Whitehead > [I'd never been much of an athlete, due to a physical condition I'd had since birth (unathleticism). Perhaps if there were a sport centered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-d-never-been-much-of-an-athlete-due-to-a-physical-condition-i-d-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I want to keep growing as a writer. I find myself doing unexpected projects and sort of challenging my idea of where I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-want-to-keep-growing-as-a-writer-i-find-myself-doing-unexpected/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“Every Tuesday, James Fulton (and later, Orville Lever) stood in the downstairs drawing room and lectured on the intricacies of his science. Lectured on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/every-tuesday-james-fulton-and-later-orville-lever-stood-in-the/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [I started writing in the '90s, so I was free to just have an eccentric career and not conform to some idea of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/i-started-writing-in-the-90s-so-i-was-free-to-just-have-an-eccentric/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“Is this the truth of our historic encounter?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/is-this-the-truth-of-our-historic-encounter/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“The Great War had always been between the white and the black. It always would be. Cora”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/the-great-war-had-always-been-between-the-white-and-the-black-it/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“The worst sort of scoundrels took up the chase. Drunkards, incorrigibles, poor whites who didn’t even own shoes delighted in this opportunity to scourge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/the-worst-sort-of-scoundrels-took-up-the-chase-drunkards/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Don’t go searching for a subject, let your subject find you. You can’t rush inspiration. … Once your subject finds you, it’s like falling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/don-t-go-searching-for-a-subject-let-your-subject-find-you-you-can-t/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“its terms? Homer watched her as she dressed, like a valet who had waited on her since the cradle. “I’m caught,” Cora said. “You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/its-terms-homer-watched-her-as-she-dressed-like-a-valet-who-had/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [These days I find myself wanting to avoid being pigeon-holed, ghettoized, held in a different category than other authors. And when people ask me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/these-days-i-find-myself-wanting-to-avoid-being-pigeon-holed/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Part of any book is establishing the rules at the end of the world. My first book, 'The Intuitionist,' takes place in an alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/part-of-any-book-is-establishing-the-rules-at-the-end-of-the-world-my/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [There's always an attack on the sophomore novel from some quarters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/there-s-always-an-attack-on-the-sophomore-novel-from-some-quarters/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [“All he felt now was envy. These people had expectations. Of the world, of the future, it didn't matter--expectation was such an innovative concept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/all-he-felt-now-was-envy-these-people-had-expectations-of-the-world/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Growing up as a product of the black civil-rights movement, I had a lot of different models for black weirdness, whether it's Richard Pryor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/growing-up-as-a-product-of-the-black-civil-rights-movement-i-had-a/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Schools don't teach American history that well, especially a lot of black American history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/schools-don-t-teach-american-history-that-well-especially-a-lot-of/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) [Explore all 302 Colson Whitehead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) ## More Atrocities quotes > [A furious Peeta hammers Haymitch with the atrocity he could become party to, but I can feel Haymitch watching me. This is the moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/a-furious-peeta-hammers-haymitch-with-the-atrocity-he-could-become/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“I do not know where Viktor and Rudolf were taken. I cannot find the records. I never Elisabeth or Iggie. It is possible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/i-do-not-know-where-viktor-and-rudolf-were-taken-i-cannot-find-the/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Yet only the atrocities of the conquered are referred to as criminal acts; those of the conqueror are justified as necessary, heroic, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fergus/yet-only-the-atrocities-of-the-conquered-are-referred-to-as-criminal/) [Jim Fergus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fergus/) > [“I don't know how to stop the atrocities. I don't know how to make people care. But looking into my sister's eyes, we seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/i-don-t-know-how-to-stop-the-atrocities-i-don-t-know-how-to-make/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) > [War is horrible no matter what. There's going to be atrocities, there's going to be horrible things that happen in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-hoffman/war-is-horrible-no-matter-what-there-s-going-to-be-atrocities-there-s/) Mike Hoffman > [Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-only-animal-that-deals-in-that-atrocity-of-atrocities-war/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Well before September 11, it was understood that with modern technology, the rich and powerful will lose their near monopoly of the means of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/well-before-september-11-it-was-understood-that-with-modern/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Every Christian who studies history can only grieve over the atrocities that have been committed in the name of God by people who refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berit-kjos/every-christian-who-studies-history-can-only-grieve-over-the/) Berit Kjos > [Fanatics can justify practically any atrocity to themselves. The more untenable their position becomes, the harder they hold to it, and the worse the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/fanatics-can-justify-practically-any-atrocity-to-themselves-the-more/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) > [We must never forget the atrocities of slavery as we continue to work towards equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-n-green/we-must-never-forget-the-atrocities-of-slavery-as-we-continue-to-work/) [Al N. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-n-green/) > [“The terrified men did not move. Then Nadia Fedin did something instinctive; she drew her Nagant revolver and fired three short bursts into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kge-konkel/the-terrified-men-did-not-move-then-nadia-fedin-did-something/) KGE Konkel > [Human beings can be redeemed. Empires cannot. Our refusal to face the truth about empire, our refusal to defy the multitudinous crimes and atrocities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/human-beings-can-be-redeemed-empires-cannot-our-refusal-to-face-the/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) [Browse all 335 Atrocities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atrocities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't say that you should extract this or that value from my books explicitly. They are up for interpretation. 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